Parking device and method of operating



June 11 1940. MASON 2,204,023

PARKING DEVICE AND METHOD OF OPERATING Filed Aug. 10, 1937 12 Sheets-Sheet l [/v vs/vroR HOWARD EMA GO/V 5y HARR/J) K/ECH, FosTE/q a HARR/J 11, 1940. MASON 2,204,023

PARKING DEVICE AND METHOD OF OPERATING Filed Aug. 10, 1937 12 Sheets-Sheet 2 1N VENTOR HOWARD FMA so/v BY HA RRAS, K/ECH/ P067161? & HARR/S A TORNEY-S.

June 11, 1940. H. F. MASON PARKING DEVICE AND METHOD OF OPERATING Filed Aug. 10, 1937 12 Sheets-Sheet I5 NON 8 M m a R A MW H a f R NM m 2 [W m f o F a H C m K R MM m. H mom x w 8 b QM A 7'7'ORNEY6.

June 11, 1940. H. F. MASON PARKING DEVICE AND METHOD OF DPERATING Filed Aug. 10, 1937 l2 Sheets-Sheet 4 BY HA RRAS, K/ECH) F05 725/? a HARE/6 A TTORNEY-S.

June 11, 1940. H. MASON: 2,204,023

PARKING DEVICE AND METHOD OF OPERATING Filed Aug. 10, 1937 12 SheetsSheet 5 [NVE/VT'OR. HOWARD MA \so/v BY HA RR J, K/EcH, FOSTER 2 HARR/J ,4 TTORNE 6.

J 11, H. F. MASON 2,204,023

PARKING DEVICE AND METHOD OF OPERATING Filed Aug. 10, 193? 1'2 Sheets-Shet s J/v vs/v TOR Harm/2o EMAso/v HARR/s, Knscu, F0: TER & HA RRIJ A TTORNEYG.

June 11, 1940. v MASON 2,204,023

PARKING DEVICE AND METHOD OF OPERATING Filed Aug. 10, 1937 l2 Sheets-Sheet 8' SELECTOR D/A GR/IM 722A rvaPoR D/A GRAM ELEVATOR DIAG AM 1N vs/v TOR HOWARD EMAso/v /70 BY HA R R As, K/EcH, 'Fos TER & HA RR/s A TTORNEY6.

June 11, 1940. MASON 2,204,023

PARKIN DEVICE AND METHOD OF OPERATING Filed Aug. 10, 1937 '12 SheetsSneet 9 5 INVENTOR HOWARD EMAso/v BY HARR/J, K/ECH) FOSTER & HARRIS @12 FAQ? A TT'ORNEYJ.

June 11, 1940. H. F. MASON I PARKING DEVICE AND METHOD OF OPERATING Filed Aug. 10, 1937 12 Sheets-Sheet 1o 7ola\ 5" ram/q e09 F .ZNVENTOR HOWARD EMAJON BY HARR/s, K/ECH/ FosTER & HARRl-S A TTO. RNE Y6.

June 11, 1940. H. F. MASON 0 PARKING DEVICE AND METHOD OF OPERATING Filed Aug. 10, 1937 12 Sheets-Sheet l1 '70/a- -v -41 /50 333: Ftg. 4)

a Z N VN TOR HOWA RD E MA so/v av HARRY-S, K/EcH, FO-STER & HARRIS ,z A 7' TORNE Y5.

June 11, 1940. F MASQN 2,204,023

PARKING DEVICE AND METHOD OF OPERATING Filed Aug. 10. 1937 12 Sheets-Sheet 12 .[NVEN roR HOWA RD E MASON av HA RRIJI KIEcH, Fcsrazz & HARR/s A Troezvsya.

. Patented June 11, 1940 PATENT OFFICE PARKING DEVICE AND METHOD OF I OPERATING Howard F. Mason, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor of one-half. to August Slater, -Los Angeles, Calif.

Application August 10, 1937, Serial No. 158,365

39 Claims.

This invention relates to storage ,or parking facilities for vehicles, and particularly for automobiles.

It relates more particularly to buildings for automobile storage or parking which have a plurality of floors or stories equipped with storage compartments, and one or more elevators arranged to convey the automobiles to and from the several floors where they are severally parked in the storage compartments.

One of the objects of the invention is to make provision for the storage of a maximum number of automobiles or similar objects in any given volume of building storage space. Another object is to provide storage facilities and a'method for utilizing such facilities which will permit rapid placing or parking of the automobiles and reclaiming or 'unparking them from their respective parking locations for delivery to the driver at the building entrance.

Another object is to provide means and a method whereby an automobile may be temporarily shifted from one position to another on the storage floors to permit the parking or unparking of another automobile or automobiles in the rear thereof and thereafter returned to its initial parking position or stall, to the end that whenever it is desired to unpark any machine whatever for delivery to the driver, it shall always be found in its initial parking stall, thereby avoiding confusion and simplifying the keeping of records and handling of claim checks.

Another object is to provide storage or parking facilities of such a character as to lend themselves to the utilization of an automatic control whereby all or a part of the parking or unparklng movements may be carried out by a single act of an operator or attendant.

Another object is to provide parking facilities and a parking'system which can function with a minimum of operating personnel.

Another object is to provide such a parking system and such safety devices that danger of accident or damage to the cars or to the equipment is eliminated or reduced to a minimum.

Still another object of this. invention is to provide storage facilities at a low first cost and which are adapted to function at a. low operative cost.

Another object is to provide automatic actuating means whereby all or part of the several steps of the operation of moving a car from the building entrance to a predetermined stall and 65 vice versa from a predetermined stall to the will be automatically halted.

I tion is of a building having a plurality of floors.

' parking or unparking operations of several automobiles respectively, and when such operations involve the use of a common means element or elements, the second and later operations of such a succession shall be delayed until the first operation shall have completed its utilization of such common means element or elements.

Another object of this invention is to provide 15 automatic means whereby when any automobile becomes accidentally stalled at any point in its automatic parking or unparking, the operator will be notified'by appropriate signal and all interfering movements of any other car or cars It is usual in operating an automobile storage business for the operator to deliver a claim check to the customer, which is torn along a perforated line from a retained ticket. In, my invention, according to one of its features, these tickets are stored in a magazine from which they are extracted as they are used. One object of the invention is to utilize the act of withdrawal of the claim check to automatically set in opera tion the mechanism whereby the automobile is by a sequence of automatically controlled move ments taken from the building entrance and placed in a predetermined stall corresponding to a number on the claim check, and to utilize later 35 the act of withdrawal of the retained ticket of that same claim check to similarly remove the automobile from that stall and deliver it to the building entrance.

Other objects and advantages of this inven- 4Q tion, residing in certain novel features of construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, will be apparent from the following description of embodiments of the invention and from the claims.

It will, of course, be understood that certain advantages of separate features of this invention are realizable without the presence of other features. For example, the following descrip- The invention, however, comprises features of construction and operation which are utilizable on a singlefioor or in a one-story building, and this invention, in so far as such features are concerned, is not limited to a building having more than one floor.

Reference has been frequently made to automobiles in the following description and claims. It will be understood, however, that my storage system and facilities are also utilizable in handling any other vehicles or movable objects adapted to be stored, and that I do not wish to be limited to an automobile storage system or automobile storage devices in the understanding and interpretation of the claims. I have also used the words automobile and "car" synonymously throughout the description.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional elevational view of a v building constructed and equipped in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view in section of the building taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and showing one of the upper floors.

Fig. 3 is a similar plan view taken along the line 3-3 of- Fig. 1 and showing the ground floor of the building.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the transport carriages.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view in cross section of the transport carriage, taken along the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged end elevational view of the transport carriage taken along the line 6 5 of Fig. 4, some of the frame being broken away to show parts of the carriage drivingmechanism.

Fig. '7 is plan view of one of the current collectors of the transport, together with the associated conductor rails.

Fig. & is a side elevational view of the collector and rails, taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the t pping motor limit switch.

Fig. 10 is a detailed view in elevation of the transport selector switch.

Fig. 11 is a horizontal cross-sectional v ew of this switch taken along the line I I-I I of Fig. 1 0.

Fig. 12 is a side elevational view of a stall assembly.

Fig. 13 is a plan view of a stall assembly.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged side elevational view of the automatic car stop shown in cross section, and taken along the line I4-I4 of Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is an end elevational view of the auto matic car stop shown in Fig. 14 and with the car guide shown in cross section.

Fig. 16 is an end elevation showing in enlarged detail the car guide and the end supportthereof as indicated by the line I6-I6 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 1'7 is a view similar to Fig. 14, but of a modified form of automatic stop.

Fig. 18 is a side elevational view, partly in cross section, of one of the ticket boxes with the front cover removed.

Fig. 19 is a plan view in cross section of a portion of a ticket box, taken along the line I9--I9 of Fig. 18.

Fig. 20 shows one of the ticket strips.

Fig. 21 is an end elevation of a ticket box taken in the direction of the arrow 2I of Fig. 18.

Fig. 22 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the ticket box, taken along the line 22-22 of Fig. 18.

Fig. 23 is a diagrammatic end elevational view of a group of ticket boxes serving one bay.

Fig. 24 is a side elevation of a stall selector.

Fig. 28 is an elevational view of the selector wheel and brush mounting, taken in the directionof the arrows -6 of Fig. 25.

Fig. 29 is a perspective view of one of the selector contact buttons.

Fig. 30 is an enlarged view of the selector driving mechanism.

Fig. 31 is a diagram of the electrical devices and electrical connections by which is controlled the parking and unparking sequence of operations in any one bay of stalls.

- Fig. 32 is a diagram of the electrical devices and electrical connections by which the operation of the transport carriages is controlled.

Fig. 33 is a diagram of the electrical devices and electrical connections by which the operation of tilting mechanisms is controlled.

Fig. 34 is a diagram of the electrical devices and electrical connections by which the operation of the elevators is controlled.

Fig. 35 is a showing of the proper arrangement of the four wiring diagrams of Figs. 31, 32, 33, and 34.

The building Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the building has walls Ii, a roof 2, a ground floor 3, and upper floors I with vertical clearances sufficient to receive automobiles. Beneath the main floor is. provided a basement which may be arranged similarly to the upper floors for storage, or may be utilized for washing, service, or repair work. A mezzanine floor 6 may be included and ar-' ranged with a customers lounge or for sales display of automobiles or automobile parts. These and other features of the building construction.

may be varied to suit the different requirements of each particular installation or the preferances of any particular proprietor, andare not necessary to the embodiment of my invention.

Above the first floor the building is divided vertically by an elevator shaft 1, with tiers of transport lanes 8 on either side thereof, and tiers of parking stalls 9. By reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that the elevator shaft 1 is, in this instance, equipped with four elevators Ill, designated as Illa, Illb, I00, and IIld, each operating in an elevator hoistway I 6, these hoistways being designated as I611, I6b, I60, and I6d, adapted to serve the basement, the main floor, the mezzanine floor, and all of the upper floors of the building. The hoistways are provided on each floor with hoistway doors l4, designated as 14a, Mb, I40, and Id, on the parking side I'I'of the building, and with hoistway doors I4, designated as Ila, Mb, I40, and Md, on the unparking side I8 of the building. The space between the ends II of the elevator shaft I and the building walls I accommodates one or more parking stalls 9a, between which and the walls I are located stairways I2. Above the elevator shaft 1 may be constructed a penthouse I5 in which may be housed the control mechanism on a panel 550 for the operation of the elevators.

Each floor is provided with a group or bay 20 of stalls 9 on each side of the elevator shaft 1, between one of the transport lanes 8 and the front or rear walls I of the building. In the drawings, for the purpose of illustration, each bay contains eighteen such stalls I. Also, for control purposes, the stall 9a between one end of the elevator shaft I and the building wall I on any one floor is associated with one of the groups of eighteen stalls 9 on that floor, making nineteen stalls to each bay. Each group of eighteen stalls 3 is arranged in two rows of nine each, transversely of the building, with each stall of the rear row in tandem alignment with a stall in front of it in the front row.

At each side of each of the two transport lanes 8 at each floor level 4 are track rails 22 upon which transport carriages 23 move transversely of the building. Each transport carriage is equipped preferably with two pairs of transport guides 24' and 24" hereinafter generally designated as transport guides 24, adapted and gauged to receive the wheels of and support two automobiles parallel to each other and relatively close together. Each carriage 23 is thus provided with two or more transport stations 23', 23". The transport guides 24 are similar and may be of any suitable form, but are shown in the drawings as channels or U-shaped rails of which the side walls are flared outwardly at one or both ends to facilitate the entrance of an automobile wheel. Each elevator I0 is equipped with a single pair of elevator guides 24b, and each stall 9 with a single pair of stall guides 24a similar in construction to the transport guides 24. The stalls 9 are preferably arranged in groups of three, in any one group of which the distance between the track centers of adjacent pairs of stall guides 24a is the same as that between the track centers of the two pairs of transport guides 24. Thus the transport guides 24 can be brought into simultaneous registry with the stall guides 24a'. While the number of adjacent stalls 9 having a definite distance between track centers is subject to modification to conform to structural and other conditions, it is essential to one feature of this invention that there exist a relationship of the number of stalls at definite track center distances to the number of pairs of transport guides 24, as will be explained later.

As shown in Fig. 3, a plurality of receiving .stations l3, designated as l3a, I31), I30, and l3d.

are provided on the first floor 3 on the parking side 11 of the elevator shaft I, each equipped with car wheel guides 240 of the same character as the transport guides 24, four such stations being shown. A receiving station l3 is'aligned with each of the elevator hoistways IS with its guides 240 in position to be in registry with the elevator guides 24b at times when the corresponding elevator ill is at the first floor level. On the unparking side l9 of the elevator shaft 1, a-plurality of delivery stations l9, designated as l9a, i9b, I90, and Hal, one corresponding to each elevator hoistway it, are provided to re ceive automobiles from the elevators Iii, each of which delivery stations is equipped with wheel guides 240 in a manner similar to that of the receiving stations l3.

The transport carriage The frame of each transport carriage 23 may be of any suitable construction. As shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 of the drawings, structural steel members are secured together to provide a horizontal frame which is made up of two end channels 26 and two pairs of longitudinally disposed channels 21 and 21a. Connecting each pair of channels. 2'! and 21a, and spaced midway be tween the end channels 26, are I-beams 28. Conguides.

character 29 and four inner ones by' the character 29a.

The carriage 23 is supported upon the track rails 22 by wheels 30, each mounted at a corner of the carriage upon an axle shaft 3i which is journaled at one end on one of the end channels 26 and at the other end on a frame element 32 which structurally connects one of the channels 21 and an adjacent outer smaller channel 29. The carriage is also supported by two drive wheels 30a which are mounted on the two ends of an axle 3la disposed parallel to the axle shafts 3i and spaced midway between them.

Each axle 3ia is suitably journaled at its ends on the channel members 26 and is driven by a two-speed, three-phase alternating current propelling motor 33 mounted on a longitudinal channel 21a near one end of the axle Ma and operatively connected to the. axle by suitable reduction spur gearing 34. Each motor 33 is equipped with an electromagnetic brake 33c 01" which the electromagnet when de-energized brings the motor to a stop, as is well known in the art.

Tilting mechanism This'parking system preferably includes the feature of movement of an automobile on its wheels by means other than its own power. I accomplish this result by constructing and arranging the pairs of transport guides 24, the elevator guides 24b, the stall guides 24a, and the car wheel guides 240 so that each of the pairs of guides may be elevated at either end so as to cause an automobile standing thereon to move toward the lower ends of the guides, and by providing a tilting mechanism for so elevating the I utilize this tilting mechanism 2| at all stations,- i. e., the receiving stations l3 on the Each of the transport guides 24 rests loosely at its ends upon the channels 26 and is prevented from longitudinal displacement by two pairs of depending fingers 35, each pair of fingers being rigidly secured to the under face of the transport guide at one end thereof and abutting the inner vertical face of the adjacent channel 26. Lateral displacement of the two outer transport guides 24 is prevented by the channels 29, each of which is disposed between a pair of the de-. pending fingers 35.- Lateral displacement of the two inner transport guides 24 is prevented by a similar engagement of each pair of depending fingers 35 with a lug 31 rigidly secured to the inner face of the adjacent end channel 26.

This arrangement of parts by which longitudinal and lateral displacement is prevented per mits a limited movement of elevation of either end of the transport guides 24 without horizonta? displacement, this elevation being accomplished at each end of a pair of guides by identically similar means. Two pairs of eccentric cams 38 are keyed or otherwise fixedly mounted in angular alignment upon a common cam shaft 39 which is journaled in suitable bearings 40 on the channels 29, 29a, and 21a. Each of the cams 38 contacts the under surface of the transof shortest radius is dieposed'vertically upward, the guide is in horizontal position and both its ends are resting upon the end channels 28. When the cam 30 is rotated and the portions thereof of longer radius are moved into contact with the under face of the transport guide 24. the guide is elevated and the car thereon is rolled from the transport carriage 23.

The cam shaft 39 and the four cams 38 are rotated as a unit by a motor 4| mounted upon the carriage frame. The motion of the motor is communicated to the shaft 39 through a pinion 42 on the motor shaft and a spur gear 43 on the shaft 39. The supply of current to the motor 8| is controlled by a make-and-break limit switch 44a within a switch box 44, as shown in Fig. 9. The switch 44a is operated by an arm 45 equipped at its outer end with a contact roller 46. A contact pin 41 is mounted upon the lateral face of the gear 43 and extends therefrom parallel to the axis of the shaft 39. Referring to the left end of Fig. 5, when the motor 4| is energized by remote control mechanism to be hereinafter described, the spur gear 43, shaft 39, and cams 38 are rotated in a clockwise direction. The transport guides 24 are elevated at the left end, as shown in dotted lines on the drawings, until the cams 38 have rotated 180 degrees from; their initial position. The car then leaves the carriage 23 by gravity. The motor 4| continues to actuate the tilting mechanism 2| and the cams 38 continue to rotate, lowering the transport guides 24 to a horizontal position. As the spur gear 43 nearly completes 360 degrees of revolution, the pin 41 engages the under side of the roller 36 and moves the upper arm .45 of a switch member 450 to the left, thereby causing the lower arm 45b to moveto the right, opening the switch 44a in the switch box 44, which in turn operates the remote control mechanism to stop the motor. Momentum of the moving parts of the motor 4| and tilting mechanism carries the pin 41 out of contact with the roller 46, and a. spring 43 pulls the arm 45b of the switch member 45a. to the left to its initial position and recloses the switch 440.. The control mechanism has, however, in the meantime de-energized the motor, and a second revolution of the tilting mechanism becomes impossible until, at a later time, certain control conditions are again fulfilled, as will be described hereinafter.

Automatic stops 49 mounted on the channels 29 and 21a are constructed to permit a car to roll onto the transport carriage 23, andafter it has been received thereon to prevent it from moving in either direction as long as the transport guides 24 remain in horizontal position. Similar stops 49 are provided at every station in the parking system and will be more fully explained in connection with a description of one of the stalls.

Transport carriage motors I provide automatic switch mechanism to control the speed of the two-speed, three-phase motors 33 and to bring them to a stop. The pairs of motors 33 on any one transport are connected in parallel and are operated as one power unit. Two relatively thin cam blocks 50 and. 501a are rigidly mounted on the outer side of one of .the channels 26, and are shaped along their adjacent edges to form between them a cam groove 5|. the cam groove 5| has a horizontal section 5|a in the center of one level, a horizontal section 5 I b at the left end at a lower level, and a horizontal section 5 I0 attheright end at a higher level than the center section, as shown in Fig. 6, and.- inclined sections 5| and 5|" connect the three horizontal sections in a continuous cam groove. An inclined section 5|d slopes downwardly from the outer end of the horizontal section 5"), and an inclined section 5|e slopes upwardly from the outer end of the horizontal section 5|c. The cam groove 5| engages a cam follower 52 which is part of a transport selector switch 53, a plurality of which are rigidly mounted on the floor 4 adjacent the path of the moving transport carriage as shown in Fig. 2. Any one of the transport selector switches 53, in cooperation with the cam groove 5|, and depending upon which one of the switches is set by the control mechanism as will be hereinafter described, is the means by which the motors 33 on the transport carriage 23 are caused to move at high or low speed or to come to a stop.

One of the transport selector switches 53 is shown in Figs. 10 and 11. A shallow, vertically disposed rectangular box frame 50l, which is open at its ends, hasvertically mounted within it an insulating switch panel 505. Upon the panel 505 are secured four pairs of resiliently mounted conductor contacts 506, 501, 508, and 509. The frame SM is formed with a horizontally disposed cylindrical enlargement 5|0 midway vertically on one of its sides which serves as a bearing for a shaft 5| Rigidly secured to this shaft by a pin 5|2 is a hub 5|3 formed with a crank arm 5M at the outer end of which is revolubly mounted the cam follower or roller 52, which is adapted by its position to engage the cam groove 5| on the side of the transport carriage 23. The hub M3 is also formed with an integral arm 5|5 to which is bolted aninsulating brush holder 5|6 which carries two brushes, i. e., an outer brush 5 1 adapted by its position to short-circuit either contacts 501 or contacts 509, and an inner brush 5|8 adapted by its position to short-circuit either contacts 506 or contacts 508. When in horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 10, the brushes 5 and 5|8 make no contacts, and no current can flow through the selector switch 53. The arrangement of parts is such that, when the brushes 5|1 and 5|8 are in their lowermost positions, as indicated by dotted lines 502, both contacts 506 and contacts'501 are short-circuited. When the brushes 5|1 and 5|8 are in intermediate positions, as indicated by dotted lines 503; only contacts 501 are short-circuited. A similar arrangement is provided for the upper pairs of contacts 508 and 509. The wiring of the contacts 506, 501, 508, and 509 will be set forth in the explanation of the wiring diagram shown in Fig. 32.

As the cam follower 52 engages the inclined section 5|d of the cam groove 5| and then enters the horizontal section 5|b, the arm 5|4 moves the brush holder 5|6 from its lowermost position 502 to its intermediate position 503, breaking it is a feature of my transport control" system to supply only one of these switches with" current at any one time. As the transport carriage 23 moves, by a deenergized switch 53, its follower 52 will reverse the arm from lowermost to uppermost position or vice versa, which auto- -matically sets it so that it may always be in position to control the transport carriage motors 33 should the switch be supplied with current at a later time, irrespective of the direction of approach of the carriage. When, however, the follower 52 comes to that switch 53 through which current is being supplied to the carriage motors 33, the follower will automatically, when the carriage 23 moves into position opposite such an energized switch, first reduce the motor speed to low, and then bring the motor to a-stop. By this means I am able to stop the transport carriage 23 at any point so that its transport guides 24 may register with the stall guides 24a or the elevator guides 24b.

As shown in Figs. '7 and 8, current is supplied to the propelling motors 33, the tilting motors 4|,

and the tilting motor limit switches 44a by means of conductor rails 54 rigidly fixed upon the floor 4. Vertically yieldable contact brushes 55 are mountedin a brush holder 56 and are resiliently held in contact with the rails 54 by a standard arrangement of conductor clips 51 and spring members 58 on the brush holder. The brush holder 56 is suitably disposed upon one corner of the frame of the transport carriage 23. Conductors leading to the motors 33 and limit switches 44a are secured to the conductor clips 51. The wiring of motors and switches is shown diagrammatically in Figs. 31, 32, 33,.and 34 of the drawings illustrating the electrical control features of this invention, and will be described later in that connection.

A photoelectric device 21H is mounted upon the transport carriage 23, with its light beam directed across the elevator end of the carriage at such.

, an elevation that it will be intercepted by a car moving onto or off the carriage but will not be intercepted when a car is standing upon the carriage. Another photoelectric device 202 is similarly mounted upon the carriage with its light beam directed across the stall end of the carriage.

Automatic car stops An assembly of the equipment and mechanism A pair of stall guides 24a, spaced to receive an automobile, are supported loosely in horizontal position at either end on transverse rods 60 which are-rigidly mounted upon standards 6| fastened to the floor 4. The stall guides 24a are prevented from lateral and longitudinal displacement, similarlyto the transport guides 24, by depending fingers 35a rigidly secured to the under side of the stall guides. Two pairs of the fingers 35a are arranged at each end of a stall guide 24a, each pair embracing the rod 60, and two pairs disposed on either side of a collar 62, as shown in Fig. 16. Sets of eccentric earns 38 and associated operating mechanism are arranged to elevate each end of the two stall guides 24a of the stall 9, and

described as part of the equipment of a transport carriage 23. The fingers 35a are preferably, a1

though not necessarily, of suificient length to engage the rod 60 at such times when the end of the guide to which they are secured is in its the return of the guide to its proper position.

Automatic stops 43 are provided in conjunction with the stall guides 24a to halt and retain a car in parked position in the stall 9 when the guides are in a horizontal position, and permit movement of the car from the stall when the guides are elevated at either end, so as to cause them to assume an inclined position in either direction, and are similar to stops 49 provided on the transport carriage 23, on the elevators l0, and at the receiving stations 13, and the following description of these stall stops will apply as well to the stops at all other stations of the parking system. One of the stops 49 is shown in detail in Figs. 14 and 15. A weighted base 63 is formed with two upwardly extending arms 64 and a hub 65 disposed between the arms and near their lower ends. While this is a preferable construction, one arm or more than two arms may conceivably be used with the same result. The stop 49 is pivotally mounted upon a rod 66, upon which the hub 65 is sleeved, the rod being supported in horizontal position between two pedestals 61 of a base 88 which is suitably secured to the floor 4 at a point near one end of the stall guide 24a.

The distance between the stops 49 at either end of a car guide is somewhat greater than the wheel base of an automobile.

The arms 64project upwardly through slots 69 in the stall guides 24a, and each arm is provided at its upper end with a contact roller 10 at a proper distance vertically above the stall guide when the latter is in its horizontal position to clear an automobile bumper and to engage an automobile wheel somewhat below the horizontal plane of the wheel axis.

The hub 65 is, integrally formed with an upwardly disposed lug to provide a catch H which abuts a catch block 12 rigidly secured to the under surface of the stall guide 24a between the catch II and the adjacent end of the stall guide. The vertical extent of the contacting faces of the catch H and the catch block 12 is such that when the distant end of the stall guide 24a is elevated about the adjacent end as a center of rotation, the catch block on the guide will clear the catch ll on the hub 65.

When a car enters, from the left, the stall 9 shown in Fig. 12, the left end stops 49 will be depressed to the right by the car wheels, allowing the car to take a central position between the ends of the stall guides 24a. When, as the car continues its movement, its forward wheels contact the right-hand stops 49a, the catch blocks 12a will prevent depression of the stops 49a, and the car will be halted. In the meantime, the weighted bases of the stops 49 will have restored the stops 49 to their vertical position, and if there is any rebound movement of the car toward the left end stops, the interaction of the catch H and catch block 12 of the left end stopswill prevent depression of the arms 64 to the left and halt the car.

If, however, the right ends of the stall guides 24a are elevated by operation of the tilting mechanism at that end, the catch 12 at the left end of the guide is elevated to clear the catch ll. When the car starts to the left down the inclined guides under the action of gravity, the adjacent car wheels press against the stops 49 which are free to rotate downwardly on their pivoted mountings on the rod 66. Each pair of car wheels then successively passes over the stops 49, which afterward return to vertical position under the action 7 of the weighted bases 63. When the tilting mechanism restores the stall guides 24a to their horizontal positions, the stops 49 are again in condition to receive and hold stationary another car. It will be observed that the stop mechanism functions with equal effectiveness irrespective of the end at which a car enters the stall or any other station of the system, and irrespective of the end from which it is rolled out of the stall or station.

Fig. 17 shows a modified form of car stop 49' in which a tread plate 13 is pivotally connected to the upper end of an arm 64' and extends therefrom at a preferably relatively small angle of inclination to the horizontal to the central tread portion 24 of the stall guide 24a, its lower end sliding horizontally along the guide as the stop 49' oscillates in either direction from the vertical. The upper face of the plate 13 engages the wheel of an oncoming car, and its angle of inclination is designed to decelerate the car to a stop more gradually than would be the case were it not used. When, however, the appropriate catch block 12 allows it, the plate 13 will move to the left with the stop arm 49 and assume a horizontal position permitting the car wheels to pass over it. When the stop 49' moves to the right, the plate 13 will be moved in advance of it to a horizontal position and, as before, permit passage over it of the car wheels.

As has been before stated, the tilting mechanism and the car stop devices are common to all stations. There are necessary, however, in the different stations some slight modifications of the details of their support, which in no way affect their general character or the principles upon which they operate.

Car handling sequences reside in the tilting mechanism the car stops 49 in their combination, and in the combination of these two devices with other devices and arrangements of my storage system, certain features of invention which are utilizable irrespective of whether the tilting mechanism is manually operated or power operated, and irrespective of the type of power used to operate it.

I prefer to use electric power in the operation of this parking system. The elevators l0 and transport carriages 23 are equipped with electric motors for their locomotion, and the tilting mechanisms at all stations are also operated by electric motors 4|. I also use electric power to operate a control system for the motors 4| to carry out the several successive operations of parking or unparking a car in proper sequence, to prevent interference in the use of the elevators I0, transport carriages 23, and tilting mechanisms, and to signal the operator the condition of a car or of any part or group of parts of the equipment.

Before describing the control and signal system, I will describe the sequence of steps in parking and unparking a car into and out of typical stall locations.

When a car enters the building, it is driven onto one of the receiving stations l3, and a claim check is given the driver by the operator. The corresponding elevator I0 is brought to the ground floor 3, if not already there, and the car is moved onto the elevator and is carried in the elevator to one of the floors 4, and a transport carriage 23 moved into such position that one of its pairs of transport guides. is in registry with the elevator guides 24b. The car is then moved from the elevator ID to the transport carriage 23, which is then propelled transversely into such position that the transport guides 24 supporting the automobile are in registry with the stall guides 24a of that pair of empty stalls 9, one in front of the other, into one of which it is desired to park the car. The car is then moved from the carriage 23 to the stall 9, completing the parking operation. The sequence of steps of the reverse operation of unparking, by which the car is taken to one of the delivery stations [9, is apparent.

When there is already a car in the rear one of a pair of stalls 9 arranged in tandem, one in front of the other, there is no difflculty in parking 9. car in the empty front stall in the manner just outlined. However, if there is a car in the stall 9e (see lower right-hand corner of Fig. 2), and it is desired to park a car in stall 9h behind it, the following sequence of steps becomes necessary. The transport carriage 23 is moved until its station 23" is in registry with stall 9e, and the car in stall Be is moved onto station 23". The newly received car is brought up in one of the elevators l0, and the transport carriage 23 is moved so that the station 23' is in registry with the elevator hoistway I60. The newly received car is then moved onto station 23 and carried on the transport carriage 23 until it is opposite stall 9e, and the newly received car is then rolled into stall 9e and on back into stall 9h. The carriage 23 is shifted to bring station 23" into registry with stall 9e, and the first car is returned to the position in stall 9e from which it was temporarily removed. The unparking operation reverses these steps. 4

There is, however, a more difilcult set of conditions which must at times be met. Assuming that there are cars in both stalls 9e and 9], and it is desired to park a later received car in stall 9g in the extreme corner of the building, the problem becomes that of getting the car into stall 9g and returning the car in stall iii to its initial position, to the end that there may be no confusion in delivering cars when called for. It is, of course, obvious that it is necessary in an automatic control system in which a car can only be identified by its known position when wanted for delivery at the end of the parking period, to return an interfering car to its initial position after temporary removal to give access to the rear stall. To meet this set of conditions, the parking steps are carried out as follows. .The transport carriage 23 is moved to a position in which its station 23' registers with stall 9; and station 23" registers with stall 9e. (The observer is assumed to be standing at the elevator shaft and looking across the transport lane in identifying the directions right and left.") Both cars in the stalls 9e and 9 are rolled onto the registering transport guides 24, and the carriage 23 is moved transversely until the station 23' registers with the stall 9e. The car on the station 23' is moved into the stall 9e, and the transport carriage 23 is then moved to one of the elevators Ill with the station 23' in registry with the elevator guides 241), where it receives the incoming carfrom the elevator. The transport newly received car is rolled from the station 23' through the stall 9 and into the stall 99. It only remains to shift the transport carriage 23 until the station 23 registers with the stall 9e, to roll the car in the stall 9e onto the station 23, to return the transport carriage to the position in which the station 23' registers with the stall 9 and to roll both cars positioned on the transport into the stalls 9e and 9! respectively. This completes the parking operation and leaves both previously parked cars in their original locations. The unparking operation reverses these steps. It will be observed that this long sequence of steps is made necessary because the transport carriage 23, due to the proximity of the adjacent building wall I, cannot move into a position such that its station 23' will register with the stall 9f to remove the interfering car parked in that stall. It will also be observed that parking and unparking sequences of the kind just described require the provision of at least as many parallel car stations on the transport carriage as there are stalls in tandem arrangement in theparking bays. Two such stalls, one in front of the other, and two parallel car stations on the transport are shown in the particular exemplification of my invention shown in the drawings. If three or more tandem stalls are arranged in the bays, three or more car stations must be provided on the transport carriage, and the sequence of steps, while longer, is similar to that described for a two-stall plan and can be readily worked out.

I utilize electric energy in the operation of my parking system for three purposes: (1) by means of electric motors to actuate the moving parts of the system; (2) to control the supply of power to these motors and determine the sequence of their energization; and (3) to indicate by appropriate signals the condition of the system and the positions of the automobiles at various times. I have already described the elevators as electrically operated, and have ref erred to the transport carriage propelling motors 33 and tilting mechanism motors 4i, and I have described typical sequences of operative steps which require the actuation of these motors. To avoid confusion and afford simplicity in keeping the storage records, it is desirable to park a car in a predetermined stall 9 with a known designation, to maintain that car in its stall during the period of parking, and to reclaim it from that stall to a delivery station I9 in the unparking operation. The control mechanism is designed to automatically accomplish this objective.

Ticket dispensers I provide ticket dispensers I4 at some convenient location on the ground floor 3, one of these dispensers being provided for each one of the storage stalls; 9 of the building and associated with and individual to that stall only. As will be seen from the following description, each ofthese dispensers is constructed to serve as a switch for the operation of a control system individual to that dispenser which selectively energizes the several car moving devices to move a car to or from the stall individual to that dispenser. As will also be seen from the description of the dispenser, it is provided with a switch operated by the withdrawal of a ticket from the dispenser and with a manually operated switch connected in parallel with the ticket operated switch. I do not wish to be limited to the use of a ticket operated switch in the use of my invention.

Referring to Figs. 18 to 23, each of the ticket dispensers I4 includes a generally rectangular ticket box I5 of any suitable material divided longitudinally by a transverse vertical partition panel 16 into two compartments, a magazine I1 and a switch chamber 18. The box I5 is open at one side which is provided with a removable cover 85. A ticket strip 19 of cardboard or similar dielectric material and made with perforated cross" lines 80 between each two parking tickets is placed in the magazine with the tickets folded back and forth, one upon the other, along the perforated lines 00, in a compact pile 8| having the horizontal width of a single ticket. The horizontal dimensions of.the magazine 11 are such as to snugly receive and accommodate the ticket strip I9.

An insulating plate 82 is mounted transversely of the switch chamber I8 in an inclined position, being secured near its upper inner edge 83 by screws 84 to a boss 86 formed on the under face of the to wall of-the box I5, and being secured near its lower outer edge 81 by screws 88 to a boss 89 formed in proper. position on the front wall of the ticket box. To the under face of the insulating plate 82 is secured by screws 90 and 90a a conductor plate iii of copper or other current conducting material, the screw 90a being arranged as a terminal for a wire 92.

The partition panel I6 is of current insulating material and serves as a supporting panel for conductor brackets 83 and 94, the brackets being secured to the panel by screws 95 and 96, respectively, which screws are arranged to serve also as terminals for wires 91 and 9B respectively. The brackets 03 and 04 are so positioned upon the panel 16 as to be laterally offset with respect to each other. Conductor fingers 99 and I00 are resiliently mounted at the outer ends of the brackets 94 and 93, respectively, by means of pins IOI surrounded by concentric helical springs I02 by which contact terminals 99' and I00 of the fingers are maintained in sliding contact with the conductor plate M. The contact 99' contacts the forward portion of the plate 9|, and. the contact I00 contacts its rear portion.

An upper cross bar I03, mounted rigidly within the box I5, is the upper support for the panel 16, and its upper edge is formed with a horizon-,.

tally projecting lip I04 extending Within the switch chamber I8, and a rounded corner I05. The rounded corner I05, in conjunction with the rear portion of the plate 82, affords a guideway. for the receipt of the ticket strip I9, which is threaded between the conductor plate 9| and the conduetor fingers 99 and I00 and through a slot I06 in the front wall of the ticket box 15. The for ward end of the ticket strip 19 rests upon two tongues I07 formed upon the front wall of the box 15 and at each side of the slot I06. The extreme outer edge of the ticket strip 19 abuts two limit stops I08 and I08a formed at the lower outer edge of these tongues, respectively.

Each ticket in the ticket strip I9 is made with transverse lines of perforations I09 and H0, with a rectangular cut-away indentation III on the right portion of one of its end edges and a similar cut-away indentation H2 in the right portion of its other end edge, and with a rectangular aperture II3 disposed in the left-hand portion of the ticket and in such a position longitudinaily of the ticket as to be bisected by the perforations H9. The indentation III of one ticket forms with the indentation H2 of the ticket next in advance a rectangular slot similar to the slot H3 but on the other side of the iongitudinal central line of the ticket. That portion II4' of the ticket extending from the perforated line 89 back to the line H9 is of one color, for example blue, and the remaining portion H5 of the ticket is of another color, for example red. When the blue portion projects from the box I5 and rests upon the tongues I91, it indicates to the operator that the stall 9 controlled by that ticket dispenser 14 is empty. When the red portion projects from the box I5, it indicates that the particular stall 9 is occupied by an automobile. Both portions of all the tickets of any one ticket strip I9 have marked thereon the number of the stall 9 to which that particular box corresponds. Reference has been made to the two limit stops I98 and I98a at the outer end of the tongues'lfll, the stop I98 being disposed in the right-hand portion of the pathway of the ticket strip I9 and being arranged to abut the ticket within the indentation I II and thus serve to definitely hold the ticket in one position longitudinally within the box. The other limit stop I980. is disposed in the left-hand portion of the pathway of the ticket strip and is arranged to abut the ticket within the aperture I I3 and serve to definitely hold the ticket in another longitudinal position.

To explain the operation of the ticket dispenser I4, let it be assumed that the blue portion of a ticket in projecting from the box I5 and the right-hand stop I98 is engaging the indentation III of the ticket. Under this condition the finger I99 is in electrical contact with the conductorplate 9I through the aperture H3 of the ticket, which is the connection for carrying out that sequence of operations by which the last car occupying that stall 9 had been unparked, i. e., reclaimed from its storage stall. No current now flows through this connection, due to a control feature which will be explained in due course. A car is placed upon one of the receiving stations I3. The ticket is grasped by the operator and pulled from the box until the lefthand stop I98a engages the aperture H3, and the blue portion H4 of the ticket is torn off along the perforated line H9. The blue portion H4 is divided along the perforated line 199. The

forward part II4a of this blue portion is given to the customer to serve as a claim check, and the rear part 4b is placed on the windshield or in some other convenient position on the automobile. The ticket strip has now electrically separated the finger I99 from the contact plate 9| and has established contact between the finger 99 and the contact plate through the aperture III--I I2, which completes a circuit by way of conductors 92 and 99 to an element in the control mechanism which starts in motion the sequence of operations arranged to take the car from the receiving station I3 to the stall. 9 bearing the same number as the number on an identification plate I I6 in the front wall of the ticket box I5. The red portion H5 of the ticket now projects from the box. When it is desired to unpark the car from the stall 9, the ticket is again grasped and pulled until the aperture III-H2 registers with the right-hand stop I99, which breaks the parking contact of the finger 99 with the conductor plate and makes electrical connection by way of the finger I99, which sets in motionthe train of operations to unpark the car and bring it to one of the delivery stations I9. I incorporate in the ticket dispenser I4 the optional and preferred additional feature of two manually operated switches III mounted at any suitable position within the box I5, which switches are wired in parallel to the fingers 99 and I99 respectively and serve to permit manual initiation of the parking or unparking cycle of operations respectively. They are distinguished from each other by the use of different colored switch handles H9 or other suitable indicating marks. Preferably the ticket dispensers I4 corresponding to the stalls 9 of any one bay are mounted in.

group form, as shown in Fig. 23, on a rack H9 with a vertical back wall I29. I arrange threepoint terminal plugs I2I on this back wall, each point of each plug being adapted to register and make electrical contact with one of three terminals I22 disposed upon the rear wall of a corresponding ticket dispenser I4. Conductor wires 92, 91, and 98 leading from the conductor plate 9| and fingers 99 and I99 respectively are connected to these three terminals respectively, with their intervening portions conveniently disposed in a slot I23.

Each ticket dispenser I is loosely supported upon the rack H9 and may be bodily moved thereon so as to electrically disengage or reengage the terminals I22 from or with its associated terminal plug I2I. When it is desired for any reason to temporarily render any ticket dispenser I4 inoperative as an electrical control agency, this may readily be accomplished by simply movingtllt ticket dispenser I4 forward on the rack a short distance. Return of the dispenser I4 to its proper position places it again in position to function as a control agency. When several cars await entrance to an occupied receiving station I3, each of the car drivers may. be given his claim check. The dispenser I4 from which it is extracted, however, may be disconnected, electrically, until the corresponding car is moved into position on the proper receiving station I3. Otherwise, the train of parking operations for any certain stall 9 might be set in operation before the car for that stall is in position on the receiving station, and the various functional steps be performed idly, which is undesirable.

Each group of ticket dispensers I4 which control all the stalls 9 in one bay is surrounded by two neon lights I24 and I25 of different colors, red and .blue for example (see Fig. 23), or equipped with other appropriate signalling devices, for purposes to be explained later.

-Each ticket dispenser I4 is also provided with an electric lam-p I26 arranged to throw light rays through a transparent window glass I21 and connected in an electric circuit to be explained later.

- Stall selectors each bay of stalls 9 (see Fig. 2). Upon each of Y the panels I5I are mounted as many selectors I59 as there are stalls 9 in the bay. A selector I59, when set in operation by one of the switches in its ticket dispenser I4 on the ground floor 

